Yesterday was ash wednesday. One of my favorite days of the Christian year. I find the focus on death and my sinfulness a means of great joy. I know that may sound goofy, but I think the reason is that looking at those two things head on magnifies God's grace. Penitence focused only seeing my guilt and brokenness that drives me to fix myself will only lead to despair - but if it is done under the umbrella of the cross it is joy indeed!! The cross shows us how serious sin - it killed our Lord - and that is gift because I need to transcend my glibness about sin in order to be transformed into Christlikeness. The cross shows what a loving father God is who was willing to do whatever it takes to bring us back to him!!! Like Augustine wrote, O Felix Culpa (Happy Fault) - since our sin and guilt is a reality we have to live with now we ought to embrace it and let it drive us to the deeper truth of grace and love -- O Happy Fault!!

A professor at Asbury said Ash Wednesday is a rehearsal for our funeral when we are returned to dust. Death sucks - no doubt about it. But the cross has transfomed death and made it a beginning instread of an ending - paradoxically a means of life. If we look to the cross we can find meaning in our own mortality and find life by embracing it and learning to live every moment to the glory of the one who loves us more than we can ever imagine.